I did not lose a moment's time, but at once ordered the burghers to load up the waggons as speedily as possible, and to inspan.
It was necessary to reload the waggons, for the English troops had made use of the contents to build _schanzes_; and excellent ones the provisions had made.
The loading of the waggons was simple enough, but when it came to inspanning it was another matter.

The Kaffir drivers alone knew where each span had to be placed, and there were only thirty-six Kaffirs left.
But here the fact that every Boer is himself a handy conductor and driver of waggons told in our favour.

Consequently we did not find it beyond our power to get the waggons on the move.

It was, however, very tedious work, for how could any of us be sure that we were not placing the after-oxen in front and the fore-oxen behind?
There was nothing left for it but to turn out the best spans of sixteen oxen that we could, and then to arrange them in the way that struck us as being most suitable.
It was all done in the most hurried manner, for our one idea was to be off as quickly as possible.
Even when we had started our troubles were not at an end.

The waggons would have been a hard pull for sixteen oxen properly arranged; so that it is not surprising that our ill-sorted teams found the work almost beyond their strength.